PHYS 407

Credit: 4 hours.

For advanced undergraduate and graduate students in Physics interested in the connection between biology and physics (no prior biology experience needed). This course explores Nobel Prize-winning experiments in biological physics and quantitative biology. Students will learn important techniques, including: optical imaging beyond the diffraction limit; optical trapping of microorganisms and subcellular structures; optical detection using nitrogen vacancy centers; molecular biology and statistical analyses for testing evolutionary models; and computational prediction of protein folding. 4 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. The course requires intermediate background in statistics and basic coding skills in Python or Matlab. Prerequisite: PHYS 213, PHYS 214, and PHYS 325 or equivalent; CS 101 or CS124 or equivalent. This course is meant for undergraduate students of junior or senior standing, or graduate students in physics.